State House race attracts two political saplings and an evergreen

143rd District incumbent's Senate bid leaves seat wide open.

October 24, 2006|By Patrick Lester Of The Morning Call

With Chuck McIlhinney's eight-year stronghold on the 143rd House seat about to end, a pair of political newcomers and a perennial candidate are looking to represent nine municipalities in northern and central Bucks County.

McIlhinney's decision to make a state Senate run opened the door for Democrat Larry Glick, Independent Tom Lingenfelter and Republican Marguerite Quinn, all of whom have preached reform during their campaigns.

Glick, a 54-year-old Doylestown Township man who has spent much of his career in law enforcement, and Quinn, a 42-year-old real estate agent from Doylestown Township, are emphasizing the need for lower property taxes and more affordable health care coverage for Pennsylvanians.

Lingenfelter, a 68-year-old Doylestown businessman who has run for a variety of county, state and federal offices, describes himself as the "angry" candidate who wants to "clean up" Harrisburg. He's ticked off that he's been kept out of candidate debates and isn't being taken seriously. "I'm running because there's too much BS (in Harrisburg)," he said.

Quinn and Glick say there's not enough tax relief coming from the Legislature.

Quinn says the state could help lower property taxes by kicking in 50 percent of the cost of running school districts. Right now, state subsidies represent less than 15 percent of some districts' budgets. She said the state could increase education funding by cutting wasteful spending.

"There's plenty of [waste]," she said, adding that the state spends $30 million to promote the state lottery.

Glick agrees the state needs to increase education subsidies, possibly by using some of its surplus, and wants to lower education costs by creating a state-run health care system that would help reduce school district's rising medical insurance costs.

He would like to reduce the number of lawmakers serving in the Legislature. He proposes a limit of three two-year terms for state representatives.

Lingenfelter wants to abolish the property tax in favor of a higher sales tax. He said he could serve as a referee for the people in Harrisburg. "The first thing I would say is that I've got a whistle in my pocket and I'm going to use it," he said. "The pay raise scandal revealed what the problem is. There are a lot of bad people in Harrisburg doing bad things."

Glick said he and Quinn have two very distinct backgrounds.

"I have 30-plus years of law enforcement experience," he said. "I wasn't just a beat cop. I had some significant positions throughout my 30 years. I've been on the hot seat before where there's a tough decision to be made."

He questioned whether Quinn, who worked for seven years for home builder Toll Brothers, could remain objective when issues related to development and open space preservation come up in the House.

Quinn said her previous work with Toll would have no impact on her decisions. She said she took the job when she was eight months pregnant and her husband was out of a job. She pointed to her endorsements from two environmental groups as proof that she would take a strong stand on environmental issues and push for land preservation.

"I have been a real estate agent since 1989 and have never been involved with the subdivision of one single lot," she said. "I was building homes. Toll Brothers was building units."

Quinn says Glick forgets he was a builder during his career.

Glick says he's never built a house. He said he's involved with a business that installs closet shelving. He said his only attempt to build a house came 26 years ago when he tried to build his own house before interest rates suddenly spiked to 17 percent, prompting him to stop a project that was partially started. He said he eventually had to file for bankruptcy.

Quinn says her negotiating would serve her well as a lawmaker. "That's been part of my success in sales," she said. "Going in and negotiating and bringing two sides together. We need that approach in Harrisburg."

Lingenfelter says he's the logical choice for people who are fed up with "legislators run by their party bosses.

"This partisan politics is just not working," he said. "The only thing people can do right now is vote for me. There is no other way to fix it."